It is known to remove freshly printed sheets from a printing machine by gripping the sheets with grippers attached to a transport chain, and deliver the freshly printed sheets to a sheet distributing apparatus or system. Numerous such apparatus or systems are known, in which the sheets, removed by the grippers on a transport chain, are then stacked on receiving platforms, pallets, or other reception structures.
Continuous supply of sheets from the printing machine requires intermittent removal of the stacks of printed sheets. When the printing machines operate at high speed, it is difficult to align the stacks, and it has been proposed to provide additional auxiliary stacking platforms--see, for example, the referenced German Patent 33 04 673, Baucke. Auxiliary stacking platforms require a substantial amount of space. Further, as the stack increases in height, and becomes heavier and heavier, the freshly printed sheets may adhere against each other. It has been proposed to insert small intermediate plates from time to time as the stack increases. These intermediate plates are supported with respect to each other. This arrangement, however, substantially decreases the overall operating speed of the printing machine--stacking combination. The stacking system of this type is much slower than the speed of the printing machine.
It has further been proposed to dry the printed sheets by introducing a drying air jet which is so arranged that drying air is blown between adjacent sheets as the sheets are turned over, and pass through an essentially vertical position. It has been found that this does not result in satisfactory drying; loosening of the sheets forming the stack with respect to each other is effective only to a limited extent, or the overall stack will become unstable and difficult to handle.